Auvreria (14 page)

Inside the house, h
e found me some clean clothes. “You can change into these; they’re my sister’s.” I went into the bathroom to change and came out and sat on the couch, still holding the sword of the elves. Ryan saw it. “Wow! It’s so beautiful. Can I see it? Hey, you have a medallion. What happened to your ring? What is that bracelet?”

I
had converted my long green cloak into a bracelet. “I came here to find the third medallion. You have to hold my hand for me to show you the rest of the story.” As we touched, I used the element of time to make him see the past. I needed to know what had happened here.

Ryan grew weak after feeling and seeing
what I had gone through. He was silent for a couple of minutes. “I can‘t turn back from this path. The longer I travel, the more perilous the path becomes. I need your help on Earth. Maldelsoul has access to all the realms now. The third medallion of Auvreria is my only chance. Can you help me?”

“Yes, of course.
Delancey has changed since you left. She made new friends, and we don’t talk in school or anywhere anymore. She’s transformed into an annoying diva. You can stay in my house for now. You can live in the attic—it’s nice and clean. My computer is there, so you can use it to help you find the medallion. About your parents—they tried to find you, but they missed so much work they were fired. They went to Italy, back to their relatives.” He stopped when he saw my exhaustion. “I won’t keep you up late. Relax; my home is your home. Your journey has even made me tired.”

I got ready for bed
in the attic. I was too tired to observe my surroundings, so I fell asleep instantly, grateful to have one good friend like Ryan.

The next day I woke up in a content
ed mood. I found a simple breakfast on a tray near my bed. After eating, I began to research the third medallion of the Three Divisions on the Internet. No results came up. I knew I had to go to Italy to tell my parents what had happened. I forgive them for making me feel abandoned. They had moved away because of me, and now I had to find them.

I found a map of Italy
, closed my eyes, and tried to imagine my parents. As I used my power of Lumifale, I rested my finger on the map. When I opened my eyes, I was pointing to the town of Cecina in the northwest region of Italy.

I changed into the finest
of Ryan’s sister’s clothes. The two marks of Auvreria appeared on my palms. I walked to a wall and entered through the vortex of light that appeared out of it..

Near Cecina, Italy

June 9
th
, 2014

The light faded
to reveal a mountainous landscape, lively, sunlit streets, and the dark Mediterranean Sea. The sun was at its apex, and the air was humid.

I felt that my
parents must be somewhere nearby; they were not the type to live in big cities. I walked through the hazy, warm fields to a small village. The stone houses were painted in bright colors, and the alleys were filled with the chattering sounds of busy people. Getting a feeling, I knocked at the door of a simple house. My mother opened the door. She couldn’t believe it was me. She called my father, and they embraced me in tears of happiness. Why had I thought they never loved me?

My father
said, “We should never have treated you as inferior to our lives. We thought it was the right way to strengthen your character.”

My mother continued, “We realized our mistake. We should not have treated you like nobody. You came to us as a gift from God. We could not have children
, and then one day we found a crying child! It was a gift we should have held tighter.”

“I should have realized my mistake, too.”

My parents held my hands as we sat outside on the porch. How was I supposed to react? I wondered if they understood what I felt many years ago. Because they had treated me as nothing special, life made no sense to me, and I had no hope.

T
heir eyes sparkled with both hope and sorrow. I smiled. I said, “Close your eyes, and I will show you what happened. A world of possibilities has opened for me.” I drew all my energy into transitioning us into the element of time. My two symbols glowed light blue. I showed them the first visit to the Tree of Life, then the confrontation with Maldelsoul, my second visit, and then the third visit of my journey. It took only a few seconds. My parents opened their eyes and looked at me in understanding. I showed them the orchid on my hands, then closed the magic.

My mother asked, “Do you forgive us?”

I answered with tears in my eyes. “There are reasons for hate and for love, but before I always chose the path that never hurt myself. I felt I was not connected to you. You made me cry, but now, I cry with you for joy. I finally understand you, and I know how you feel. You found me in the forest. You couldn’t understand my language. My memories turned into dreams. As I grew up, I didn’t see any meaning in life because I was only concerned with myself.

“Entering th
is war between good and evil has changed my perspective. I’ve felt the weight of responsibility for all the existing elements of Auvreria, the endless universe. Now I have a reason to fight for something I want to protect. You, Aethra, Astral, Arthaesia, and all the countless realms have inspired me and given me life. I will never stop until the balance is restored. I am the protector of the power of Lumifale, the white dragon, and the guardian of the center of the universe. I will give everything for the well-being of others.”

I stayed til
l sunset with my parents. We talked a lot, played games, and took walks through the town. We ate dinner at a café. I embraced my parents. We knew our mistakes, and we wanted to repair them. My father said, “We have a secret for you: we are going to have another child.”

“I am
so happy for both of you! What a lucky child to have such good and understanding parents. Will it be a girl or a boy? Do you have a name yet?”

“It
’s too early to say,” answered my mother, “but we expect a boy. His name is going to be Nicolas. We are inspired by your determination, so I decided to use your name. By not running away from telling us the truth and embracing your fate, you have made us proud. I will always remember this day, daughter.”

“Thank you
, mother and father.” I answered. My soul felt content and free. A rainbow had appeared in my life after a pointless storm of depression. The journey of my life had brought me healing love.

I knew I could not spend any
more time here, or Maldelsoul would find the last medallion. Before I left, I used the element of earth to grow a beautiful garden in the back yard of my parents’ house. Trees grew, the ground was revived, and the grapevines flourished. I carved out the symbol of Auvreria on the earth. Last, I came to my mother and put my hand on her belly to give the child positive energy. By this action I entered into a secret contact with the soul of that child. Surprised, I pulled away.

After we said our
goodbyes, I entered the chasm of flowing energy and time again. I knew I would miss Italy and my parents. I was proud that fulfilling my destiny would save them, my community, my country, and all the other worlds.

Ryan’s House

June 9
th
, 2014

I came back to Ryan’s house through the portal. He heard me and
climbed into the attic. “Where have you been? It hasn’t even been a day, and you’ve already left.”

“Sorry
I didn’t tell you,” I answered. “I went to Italy through a portal to see my parents.”

“
You just used a portal to travel to Europe? I still worry about you, but that is pretty cool. Can you stay for a while without going anywhere where I can’t contact you? I need to know you’re safe.”

“Sure. I
’ll use this time to do in-depth research about the third medallion.”

Just then,
Ryan’s mom called him to dinner. He went downstairs. Searching for the medallion took some time. Every lead came to a dead end. I felt like I was in a digital maze. I wondered if Maldelsoul would learn everything about Earth technology. If he took control of the government or the economy, I would have no idea how to stop him.

D
ays passed. I was exhausted from the endless lack of results and decided to take a walk in the park. A cool wind blew leaves around. Clouds slowly drifted in the sky. I examined the changes in my town. A small toy shop had been replaced with a bank. I wondered how Arthaesia had changed over the years. Its triumph had been replaced by ruins and ash. What had happened to Maldelsoul to make him do this? Trillions of lives could never heal a damaged soul.

I saw Ryan com
ing from school. He looked worried and ran over to me. He started speaking very fast. “Two guys our age came to school a few days ago. They’ve started attacking kids. They talk in this weird language and are casting spells. You need to help!”

“They might be from Mortver,” I
replied. “We have to go now. I guess they found me.”

We
hurried to the far end of campus. Two magicians dressed in Mortver uniforms—one in black and the other in gray—were casting spells. They had blocked the security cameras to avoid attention. I couldn’t use strong spells; there were ordinary people around. My marks appeared as I grasped the power of Lumifale. I focused on the element of water in the form of ice. They shielded with fire, and the ice melted away. When they recognized me, they let go of the others.

Ryan took
the injured kids away. The guy in the gray cloak said, “Anelia—the daughter of Auvreria, the infinite universe. My name is Grealn, and this is my brother, Zekreon. We are from Mortver. You must meet our master; he would like to see you.”

“Never.”

“We are stronger than you,” retorted Zekreon. “We have excelled since childhood in the art of magic. Choose wisely.”

I blew a surge of fire and water in their direction. They changed the attacking elements to air and earth. I do
dged the counterattack just in time. That was unexpected. I used all the different combinations of attacks with the elements until I grew tired.

Meanwhile,
Grealn and Zekreon had not lost a drop of energy. Now it was their turn. They had shielded, added elements, shifted tactics, and wasted nothing, whereas I had foolishly attacked too many times, and now I had to pay the price. I was so tired I had to sit down. They gathered around me and put their hands above me. They transitioned the energy of life into its opposite. They were using the seventh element. I couldn’t move, and I was dying.

I ha
d said goodbye to all when suddenly a portal opened. From the bright light came Fensagenia with her sword. The magicians awoke from their trance and attacked her as she slashed through their clothing. Red, hot blood ran down to the ground, but the two brothers used the elements of time and energy to disappear.

Fensagenia
knelt above me. “Do not die! I cannot bear Arthaesia’s betrayal and your death, too.”

I said slowly, “I… need… to…
get… to… Ryan’s… house…” I could no longer hold on. I couldn’t see anything: only fading light. When Ryan came back, he found me lying on the cold, dirty ground with Fensagenia at my side.

Ryan’s house, a deal with the enemy

June 12
th
, 2014

I lay on the hard sofa in the attic. The room
felt dry. I saw Fensagenia sitting nearby, lost in her thoughts. I moved to sit next to her. “How did you appear in this world? I would have fallen prisoner to Mortver—I was helpless at that moment.”

“After the storm in
Port Archalypsis, our group had to return to the Crossroads of the Valleys. You had been swept away by the typhoon. It was a great loss. How were we supposed to continue? We had received news from Mortver that they would attack with full force. Silvius and Magdalion had no choice but to enter into battle. We’d trained years for this. When the time came, Mortver charged with immense speed, skill, and power. All our efforts were useless.”

“We lost,” continued Fensagenia. “To
avoid losing everything, Clarimie surrendered. Mortver has put our proud lords into prison cages. Clarimie is now one of Maldelsoul’s trusted officers. Mortver dragged the Clamoor Clan to the Tree of Life to set up camp. I heard that you had a confrontation with Maldelsoul and you were both sent to the world of Aethra.

“
I couldn’t bear the surrender of the Clamoor Clan, so I escaped. When I came to the Tree of Life, I heard Aurora’s voice. She told me to rip off one of the leaves. That leaf contained her soul. When I touched the floating rings, she told me she would be free. She told me that you and she would reunite when your journey to the past began. She helped me cross the boundary of Arthaesia to Aethra, where I found you dying on the ground with two magicians from Mortver.”

“
We need to find the third medallion,” I said, “especially now that Mortver wants to kill us.”

Suddenly,
I received a note from Grealn and Zekreon. The sparkling magic dust formed a handwritten letter. I grabbed the floating paper and read it. They asked for a private conversation in the park. I was wary, but Fensagenia planned to secretly watch me in case anything should happen. She gave me a pendant of truth, a small piece of jade that would glow if anyone lied. Ryan was ready to call the police. My powers were weakened, but it was my destiny to confront Mortver.